"Inclusive Governance for Resilience: Lessons from Atlanta's Institutional Architecture"

The focus of this research is to examine how resilience (climate and disaster) shapes, governs, and operationalizes within the Atlanta Metropolitan area, to draw lessons for the South African urban context. To achieve this, the study interrogates several interrelated dimensions. Firstly, the research focuses on the resilience initiatives undertaken across the Atlanta City Metro. Secondly, it explores stakeholder engagement in shaping and executing resilience strategies with particular focus on coordination mechanisms across municipal departments, state agencies, and external partners. Thirdly, it explores integrating resilience into long-term planning, funding, and the allocation of technical and human resources. Finally, the research identifies challenges in implementing the resilience agenda and explores institutional reforms and innovations critical for strengthening Atlanta's capacity to build a sustainable, adaptive, and inclusive urban environment.

Livhuwani David Nemakonde is a Professor in the School of Geo- and Spatial Sciences at North-West University in the Republic of South Africa. Livhuwani has been working in disaster risk reduction as an academic and a researcher since 2015. Before joining academia, he worked for the government in various positions for about 15 years. He holds a PhD in Development and Management (Disaster Studies) from North-West University, obtained in 2016. The title of his thesis was "Integrating parallel structures for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in the Southern Africa Development Community."